Zelensky: Ukraine successfully testing long-range missiles

Ukraine’s aims to produce long-range missiles and drones “are today a reality” after previously being in the realms of science fiction, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in Kiev on Tuesday as he honoured Ukrainian scientists.

He highlighted the Palianytsia jet-powered drone, which is reported to have been deployed for the first time in August. “The Palianytsia has gone into mass production,” Zelensky said.

He added that the Peklo missile-drone hybrid had conducted its first combat mission successfully. The Ukrainian army officially took the first delivery last week of these devices with a range of 700 kilometres.

Zelensky also referred to successful tests of the Ruta missile. No details are as yet available.

And he also mentioned the Neptune long-range missile that was used in April 2022 to sink Russia’s Moskva cruiser on the Black Sea in April 2022, saying that it would soon become a “terrible reality for the Russian occupiers.” The missile has undergone further development.